Due Date
28 October
Symptoms
I’ve felt the tiredness creeping in again over the last couple of weeks. We have had a really difficult week with Alfie being referred to hospital on Monday, which you can read about here. It’s been really draining and I think with the weather being so hot, it has really taken it out of me and I find myself collapsing on the sofa once Alfie is in bed. Despite the heat, my sleep has been ok (touch wood) and I’ve not been to disturbed at night, nor have I needed to get up much in the night for toilet trips. I have started with heartburn though which I’ve had quite a few times over the last couple of weeks, it does only seem to be in the evening’s though which if I’m going to get it, I’d rather it be when I’m at home.
In the way of symptoms, that’s really been it. As I’ve said throughout the whole of this trimester, this is my favourite few months of pregnancy as it’s pretty symptom free!
How is baby
At around 26 weeks the baby will start to open it’s eyes and although vision won’t be great, it will get better over the next few weeks. S/he can also hear our voices (which is why I sometimes get Alfie to sing to my belly) and they’re also practicing breathing by breathing in the amniotic fluid, ready for when they take their first breath outside of the womb.
How I’m feeling
Very unprepared. I think with having Alfie, Michael and I haven’t really had as much time to enjoy this pregnancy as we did do when I was pregnant the first time because when you are dealing with a three and a half year old all day every day, it does take it out of you. Whereas before we would spend hours at weekends going window shopping and looking at various baby clothes and gadgets, this time we’ve just not been able to do that because we only have 1 day a week off together and it wouldn’t be fair on Alfie. I have barely bought anything in the way of clothes bar a few bits. That said, I’m not sure if I want to buy too much in white / cream or if I should just wait until we know what it is then we can buy pink or blue (yes, I am that Mummy who will want a little girl all in pink and a little boy in blue – I used to love it when Alfie wore baby blue sleepsuits).
It’s quite silly really, but as much as I’m doing these updates and taking my pics of my bump, which is something I never did with Alfie, I still don’t feel like I’m taking the time to enjoy it this time around and relish being pregnant. I don’t really have much time to think about it and even though I’m now 6 months, I am still finding it hard to accept that in a few short months we will be a family of four. I honestly feel sometimes like I’m just going through to motions of things like buying a small pack of newborn nappies with our weekly shop, swapping our lounge around to accommodate the moses basket etc. I’m not in denial because I am so looking forward to having this baby and it’s very much loved and wanted, but I think I need to make more time to appreciate it.
Which is why I have decided that I am going to decorate the nursery. Initially, because the baby will be in with us for at least 6 months, I wasn’t going to do it. One of the main reasons was because we rent our house and we weren’t sure if we would be staying here as we were up for renewal this month. Thankfully though, our landlord is happy for us to stay for at least another year, which has spurred me on. I think I need to decorate it to help me connect more and to do something for him / her. I loved painting Alfie’s nursery and getting everything just right, and I loved going in there sitting quietly in the last few weeks, but I’ve not been able to do that this time. At the moment, we use what will be the nursery as my dressing room and it’s where our tumble dryer is. I really want a space for all the baby’s things to go and somewhere to hang his / her clothes. So over the next few weeks, the room will be emptied and painted and decorated ready for when baby arrives. I know s/he will be in with us for a while once it’s born, but I really do want the baby to have its own space. I’m planning on a white, grey and yellow or mint green colour scheme.
The baby is moving a lot more now and you can see my belly move when it’s kicking, which is lovely. Michael has had a couple of instances where he’s had a good few minutes of kicks and is still amazed every time. Sadly, Alfie has not felt it kick properly, but he often puts his head on my belly to have a listen, which is just so lovely.
I’ve moved teams at work and I’ve realised that I actually start my maternity leave in 11 short weeks. I cannot believe how fast it is going!
The Bradbury Bunch 